Southern California -- this just in

5 bicyclists arrested on suspicion of riding under the influence [Updated]

January 13, 2011 | 7:57
am

Five bicyclists cruising in Baldwin Hills were arrested early Thursday on suspicion of riding under the influence, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A group of 15 bicyclists were riding the wrong way down La Cienega Boulevard at Stocker Street about 1:30 a.m. when one hit a center divider, prompting officers to suspect alcohol was involved, the CHP told KTLA-TV Channel 5.

Officers conducted field sobriety tests on the bike riders and arrested five of the group. Their bicycles were confiscated, officials said.

Bicyclists are restricted to the same blood-alcohol limit of 0.08 as drivers.

[Updated at 8:11 a.m.: None of the cyclists wore helmets and few had reflectors on their bikes or clothing, making them “barely visible to passing motorists,” according to the arrest report. The five riders arrested, all between the ages of 18 and 22, were cited and released.]

CHP officers were originally sent to the intersection on a report of a collision between a bike and a car.